Catch the Fair One‘s Josef Kubota Wladyka, Sometimes I Think About Dying‘s Rachel Lambert and Soft & Quiet‘s Beth de Araújo are among the ten filmmakers heading into U.S. Dramatic Competition section at next year’s Sundance Film Festival. They’ll all be contending for the the Grand Jury Prize. Beth de Araújo has been working on her sophomore feature Josephine for some time now – Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger star in what appears to be a film dealing with trauma and reverts back to an experience that the director lived thru. Rachel Lambert was in Park City with last feature, her latest film Carousel sees Chris Pine and Jenny Slate in a tale ab out a divorced doctor’s carefully constructed life in Cleveland is upended when his daughter’s debate aspirations and the unexpected return of a past love force him to confront his own choices and embrace a second chance. Josef Kubota Wladyka moves from fight-centric cinema to Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! with Rinko Kikuchi toplining. Here are the selections:
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Bedford Park / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Stephanie Ahn, Producers: Gary Foster, Chris S. Lee, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Theresa Kang, Son Sukku) — Haunted by an abusive childhood, Audrey, a Korean American woman in her 30s, faces her emotional past. When her mother’s car accident brings her back to her parents’ home, she meets the man responsible for the accident. Their relationship builds, passions ignite, and they form a loving connection. Cast: Moon Choi, Son Sukku, Won Mi Kyung, Kim Eung Soo, Jefferson White. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Carousel / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Rachel Lambert, Producers: Alex Saks, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Ian Gotler, Chris Pine) — A divorced doctor’s carefully constructed life in Cleveland is upended when his daughter’s debate aspirations and the unexpected return of a past love force him to confront his own choices and embrace a second chance. Cast: Chris Pine, Jenny Slate, Abby Ryder Fortson, Sam Waterston, Katey Sagal. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Friend’s House Is Here / U.S.A., Iran (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei) — In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other. Cast: Mahshad Bahram, Hana Mana, Farzad Karen, Zohreh Pirnia. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Josef Kubota Wladyka, Screenwriter: Nicholas Huynh, Producers: Kimberly Parker Zox, Mao Nagakura) — Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Hot Water / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Ramzi Bashour, Producers: Jesse Hope, Max Walker-Silverman, Josh Peters) — After he’s kicked out of his Indiana high school, an American kid and his Lebanese mom hit the road west. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Daniel Zolghadri. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Josephine / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Beth de Araújo, Producers: David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, Crystine Zhang) –– After 8-year-old Josephine accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her. Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Eleanore Pienta. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Musical / U.S.A. (Director: Giselle Bonilla, Screenwriter and Producer: Alexander Heller, Producers: Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus) — When a frustrated playwright and middle school theater teacher finds out his ex-girlfriend has started dating his nemesis, the school’s principal, he decides to ruin the principal’s chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence. Cast: Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Run Amok / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: NB Mager, Producers: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green) — A teenage girl stages an elaborate musical about the one day her high school wishes it could forget. Cast: Alyssa Marvin, Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, Sophia Torres, Elizabeth Marvel, Molly Ringwald. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Take Me Home / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Liz Sargent, Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas) — Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Union County / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Meeks, Producers: Brad Becker-Parton, Stephanie Roush, Sean Weiner, Faye Tsakas, Martha Gregory) — Assigned to a county-mandated drug court program, Cody Parsons embarks on the tenuous journey toward recovery amid the opioid epidemic in rural Ohio. Cast: Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, Annette Deao. World Premiere. Available online for public.
